Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Bennetts!

To celebrate, Sierra had a fun party at her preschool and we took both kids to the Harvest Party at the Calvary Chapel in South Bay. Sierra had a blast (especially since we went with her BFF Sofia and Sofia's awesome mommy Val) and Bodie, well, since we brought along his carrots, he was pretty ok with it, too.

Sierra, the cutest little bumblebee ever:

Sierra and her BFF Sofia:

Bodie, the cutest little bunny rabbit ever:
(This was actually Sierra's first Halloween costume - almost can't tell them apart - this was Sierra in 2007):

Tonight, we'll take the kids trick or treating for just a little bit and then stay home to hand out candy to the neighborhood cuties! Happy Halloween everyone!!!

October traditions

October is such a month of fun family traditions at the Bennetts. After months of skipping holidays (Dusk and my birthday to name a few) and spending so many of them in the hospital (Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July), it's blissfully exciting for Bodie to be in such a stable place that we can get back to some of our favorite traditions. Praise God for that!!!

One of our favorite October traditions is going up to my parents' house (Gigi and Popo) on the Central Coast to pick out pumpkins and go to a Cal Poly football game. This year, we took both kids to Avila Valley Farms to feed animals and pick pumpkins, but opted to let Sierra do a date night with Gigi and Popo at the football game and keep Bodie home. (We just didn't like the idea of having Bodie in such a large crowd just yet, especially since it was Poly's Homecoming.) Then we went to my parents church on Sunday before leaving town - it was so neat to be able to show Bodie off to all of his prayer warriors and especially to thank them for their continued prayers. The weekend was wonderful - SO MUCH FUN! Lots of pictures to share...

Popo goofing off with Sierra and Bodie:

Gigi and Bodie:
Sierra getting some Gigi time:
The whole fam at the pumpkin patch:
Sierra with Popo (2 of my all time favorite Sierra and Popo pics):
Sierra on her date with Gigi and Popo (the Cal Poly football game) complete with pom poms and kettle corn:
How did Bodie like his "Date Night" with mommy and daddy? We'll let you decide that one...
Bodie decked out in his church duds for Gigi and Popo's church, sporting the sweater vest of course:

Dusk, Sierra and Bodie on a pit stop on the way home from Gigi and Popo's (don't know who was more excited to be out of the car, Daddy, Sierra or Bodie!):

Halloween pics to come, but I figured this was enough pictures for one entry! :-) Hope you're enjoying October as much as our family is!

Absolute Inspiration

Watch. Smile. Cry a little. Hope along with us that this will be Bodie someday. So much hope for CHD children these days. PRAISE GOD for this hope!

The space between us

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Bodie, Dusk and I had a wonderful opportunity to meet up with one of my heart sisters, Cindy, this past weekend. What I didn't mention was how bittersweet that meeting was. So sweet, so very, very sweet, to see Cindy again, to feel that instant bond with her, the love that flows freely between our hearts. But so, bitter, so very, very, painfully bitter to feel the space between us. The space that should have been filled with 2 boys fighting to get off their mama's laps, 2 boys trying to open Puff's containers with their mouths and giving everyone around silly, goofy grins. The space that instead was only shared by my sweet boy and the memory of the one who left before him. The space that will never be filled.

Oh, the aching sadness to think of how things should have been. Bodie and Isaac are such brothers, not just brothers in Christ, but heart brothers as well. They were from the start, well, actually, from before the start. A few weeks before Bodie was born, my mom heard about a fundraiser being held in Santa Maria for a baby boy named Isaac, who would be having multiple heart surgeries down at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Like my mom does, bless her heart, she held on to the story and wouldn't stop talking about how neat it would be if I met Isaac's mom and dad. To be honest, I had a lot of other things on my mind and couldn't really have cared less who I did or didn't meet once my baby was born. God had other ideas. He knew I would need Cindy.

After Bodie's Norwood surgery, he was moved into a 4 bed room and the baby diagonally across from him was named Isaac. I pointed out the sign to my mom, laughingly saying that must have been her Isaac. Of course my mom immediately ran over to the young mother sitting beside the baby's bed to see if it was the same Isaac she had heard about on the radio. Indeed it was. THANK GOD my mom is a crazy friendly person, because I honestly wouldn't have done that. Cindy came over to talk to me and a friendship was born. Day in and day out in that room, we would talk and swap stories.

Then, Bodie was moved to the 3 bed room next store, and sure enough, Isaac came over too. What fun! The boys used to give nurse Alex a run for his money - poor Alex was relatively new at the whole icu nursing thing and would always get the boys paired and I swear, Bodie would wait until Isaac was crying for a diaper change and would immediately pee or poop, too. Alex would just be exhausted from taking care of both boys all day!

Then, Bodie was moved to the step-down unit and low and behold, Isaac was moved just a few hours later - and they both came to the same room!!! Isaac and Bodie were across from each other for the remainder of Bodie's stays. It was so wonderful to have a partner in Cindy. Sometimes (ok, a lot of the time - it's the step down unit floor after all) the nurses would get so busy with the patients that they wouldn't have the time to call a parent if something happened and the parent was away from the bedside. So it was such a blessing for Cindy and I to have one another - I could text her if she happened to have headed over to the Ronald McDonald house to catch some sleep and let her know Isaac was having a rough night and she might want to come back. Or she could text me to let me know that all of the nurses were huddled around Bodie's bed because he was desatting and misbehaving again. It just made the being in the hospital thing so much easier.

A week or two after Bodie was discharged, Isaac got to go home, too! He had a slightly less tumultuous next few months, enjoying being at home with his amazing mother Cindy, dad Jeff and big brothers Michael, Evan and Caleb. Since Bodie was in the hospital so much of that time, I was able to see Cindy and Jeff when they would bring Isaac down for various appointments at CHLA. Cindy and I had such big dreams for playdates with the boys once they were finally out of the hospital at the same time.

That never happened. Bodie's and Isaac's stories were intertwined from before the beginning, and the end was no exception. The day Bodie was discharged from the hospital in July, as we were driving home from the hospital, I got a text from Cindy that Isaac had been called home to Jesus. His little body had fought a horrible virus and just couldn't fight any longer. Oh how very bittersweet. On the same day my little boy was finally going home, his heart brother Isaac was going HOME.

And there we sat Saturday afternoon, Dusk, Cindy, Bodie and I, with a space large enough between us to acommodate a football field of little boys. But it only needed to hold one. Sweet, sweet Isaac. We so wish it could have been different. We will miss you forever Isaac and you will never be forgotten. We cannot wait for the playdates in Heaven someday. Love you Isaac.

- Amy and Bodie

Sisters by Heart

This weekend, Bodie, Dusk and I had the privilege of seeing one of my most special fellow heart moms, Cindy, whose sweet angel Isaac was Bodie's roommate following his Norwood. Cindy and I became so close as our boys were roommates for pretty much Bodie's entire 5 week stay at Children's after his Norwood. Cindy gave me a beautiful Willow Tree angel called "Sisters by Heart" and the description is "Celebrating a treasured friendship of sharing and understanding." Wow. There is no better way to describe my relationships with my fellow heart moms. These brave women understand. They've been there. They've faced the same, unmentionable fears that I've faced. They've cried the same tears that I've cried, as they've watched their sweet babies in pain, with countless tubes and wires. They've pleaded with God to save their child. They've experienced the same incredible joy I've felt when their child has turned a corner and started really progressing...and the same frustration, disappointment and fear when the child turned right around and started regressing again. 2 steps forward...1...or 2...or 3 steps back is the heart mother's mantra. They've wondered, in their darkest hour whether they will outlive their child, whether they're allowed to have hopes and dreams for their child. No one can understand like these women can. So tonight, I salute these incredible women. I can only hope I can show the same encouragement, love and steadfastness for my heart warrior that they have shown for theirs.

The heart moms I've met in person and had the privilege to walk alongside. I've grown to love their children as much as my own...

Cindy and sweet angel Isaac (Trunctus Arteriosis)

Dana, beautiful mama to feisty Addie (ALCAPA - Anonymous Left Coronary Artery)

I remember the night Addie was admitted to the hospital. She was admitted to 6west (the general cardiac floor) into the telemetry room (4 beds). Poor Dana was beside herself (Addie had not been diagnosed prenatally and was suddenly diagnosed at around 6 months of age and hospitalized pending almost immediate surgery) and Addie ended up rooming with Isaac and Bodie. It was really late at night, and Cindy and I were pretty punchy to put it mildly. At that point, our boys had been roommates for almost a month at CHLA and we were just over the whole experience. We were just cracking ourselves up over stuff that really probably wasn't even remotely funny but, well, you do what you have to do to cope. I distinctly remember telling Dana that Addie wouldn't have to be there forever because "well, they have to send you home sometime right? Right, Cindy? Eventually they'll find an excuse to kick our boys out of here, right?" and telling her what a great roommate Bodie was because he couldn't make any noise due to his vocal cord paresis. I just remember Cindy and I laughing so hard over that. I'm sure Dana thought we were crazy, but we were coping the only way we could. About a month later, upon Bodie's readmission, I met Dana again in the CTICU and a true friendship was born. Dana and I continued to see one other over the next few months as Addie milked her time in the cticu with all she had and Bodie continued to float in and out of the CTICU like they were giving away free candy. Dana is incredibly strong and has such a sweet spirit. I feel SO lucky to have met her and am still looking forward to our first playdate outside of the hospital.

Lucy, light-filled mama to sweet Babs (valve repair/replacement)

Barbara Ann, better known as "Babs," was Bodie's roommate after his Norwood. Lucy and her husband Tommy were there all the time. It was always so comforting to see one or the other there at her bedside every time I walked in to the room. During one of our many conversations, we learned that not only did we share a cardiologist (the amazing Dr. Nancy Kim), but we also shared a gynecologist (Dr. Taz Varkey, who saw me through both the pregnancy of the baby we lost last year, but also the beginning of my pregnancy with Bodie). I loved Lucy right away - she shared our faith values, and just had such an amazing positive spirit.

Jean-Marie, bubbly mama to handsome little dude Liam (Tetralogy of Fallot)

Liam was Bodie's very first roommate. They both had their surgeries the same day as well as their chest closures. Let me tell you, Liam is one strong little dude, totally on the fast track. He was there it felt like 2 seconds, and then bam, was extubated, then eating, then upstairs and then home! Jean-Marie and I bonded almost immediately - I think it had something to do with trying to figure out pumping and walking and standing all while recovering from a c-section. I can remember going over to one another's beds to check on the progress of our kiddos. I distinctly remember one nurse telling me we weren't supposed to talk to other parents or "compare" progress of our kiddos. So maybe she probably was right - there was a teensy bit of jealousy on my part when Jean-Marie was holding Liam and giving him a bottle and Bodie was still completely intubated with no hope of extubation any time soon. ;-) But whatever - we totally ignored the rule and bonded anyway. Gotta love a fellow rulebreaker, especially one as sweet as Jean-Marie!

Sara, advocate mama to hero Townes (HLHS) (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/townsendhale)

Oh I think you all know how I feel about Sara. She, and her entire family, have literally been our lifeline again and again throughout this whole process. She and I met through the California Heart Connection when I was 7 months pregnant with Bodie and a lifelong friendship was born. The Hale Family lives in El Segundo (less than 10 minutes away from us), Townes and Bodie have had all of their surgeries done by Dr. Starnes at CHLA and our little guys had their last surgeries on the same day (we actually carpooled up a few days when they were in the cticu together). We LOVE Sara. Enough said.

And thank God for the internet, for Facebook and the blogging community. Because of it, I've been able to meet so many other HLHS families and bond with heart moms whose kids are also on this same crazy and uncertain journey that our sweet Bodie is on. It seems crazy to say I love these women I've never actually met in person, but I do. I feel like I know them - we've rejoiced in our kids triumphs together and cried over their struggles together. I am forever indebted to these women:

Jenny, sweet mama to miracle Aly Jean (HLHS) (http://jennyandjeremylincoln.blogspot.com/)

Jessica, strong mama to miracle boy Paxton (HLHS)

Kathy, unbelievable CHD avocate mama to chubster Jake (HLHS) (http://jacobsspecialheart.blogspot.com/)

Nicole, inspiring mama to the amazing Travis (HLHS) (http://dicarlofamilyupdates.blogspot.com/)

Stacey, amazing-writer mama to beautiful princess Zoe (http://thelihns.blogspot.com/)

Sigh...there are SO many other heart moms I'd like to include, but (i) it's seriously getting late and I still have to pump and do meds and (ii) most of the other moms I looked up didn't have any pics of themselves with their heart kids on either their blog or Facebook page (seriously, heart moms - get out from behind the camera and show us your lovely faces!!!)

A special tribute to 2 heart mamas who I met recently whose journeys with their special heart babies had barely begun before God called their special boys home. Please say a special prayer for these beautiful heart mamas missing their angels tonight...

Lauren, mama to sweet Angel Caleb (http://calebsheartstory.blogspot.com/)

Jill, fighter mama to warrior angel Joshua (http://fierceandfiesty.blogspot.com/)
And finally, a special tribute to a sweet fighter who lost his battle with HLHS earlier this summer...

Miranda, warrior mama to incredible fighter Wyatt

I always felt a special bond with Miranda and Wyatt, I think because I followed Wyatt's journey from when Miranda and I were both pregnant together and our boys were only born a week apart. I am still at a loss over sweet Wyatt's passing and have to honestly tell you that I cried when I pulled his pictures up to find a picture of he and Miranda together.

Fly high sweet angels. Comfort your amazing mommies tonight.

I love these kids

No news to report. Just wanted to take a moment to revel in the bliss of living our "normal" lives at the moment...being able to take pictures like this...

Hello Growth Chart!!!

(can you believe these cheeks?)

Finally, finally, finally, little man is back on the growth chart! (For those of you who don't obsess about underweight children, most doctors will say they're "not on the chart" until they hit 5%, which is the lowest curve they put on the chart). Bodie hasn't been on the chart (weight-wise) since he was about 2 months old. He's been thisclose during each of his last cardiologist appointments, and at today's appointment, he finally made it! He's now at 5% for weight and a whopping almost 50% for length! I'm so proud of our little guy! Since he started sleeping through the night (so missing a feed essentially - only somewhat making it up during the day) and rolling anywhere and everywhere (so expending ridiculous amounts of energy), his weight has really plataued. Although his cardiologist wasn't concerned (that's kind of what happens at this age), I'd like to see him continue to climb the growth charts. So please pray that his eating picks up enough to compensate for his high level of activity. Man, this kid is ACTIVE. I mean, always rolling, kicking, legs flailing, you name it. I need some of whatever he's on. Oh wait, that's breastmilk. Ok, maybe not. But you get the idea. ;-)

Heart-wise, he still seems to be stable, which is good news. His cardiologist noted on his ekg today that his pacer is not only pacing his atrium (which is what it's supposed to be doing), but also was pacing his ventricle (which we'd rather not have it doing - it's better for the ventricle to be doing the work out of its on volition). She's not sure whether it was just today that it was happening or if that's a trend we're seeing with him, but in any case, it's definitely a new thing not seen on previous ekg's. We have an appointment next week with his electrophysiologist, so we'll talk to him about it then. If it is happening, it might be a side effect of his Digoxin (the heart med he's on to help with heart squeeze and function). If so, then we'll need to wean him off of it sooner rather than later. He was just recently put back on it since his heart function was lower than usual on his last echo. If we do end up needing to wean him off of the Digoxin, please pray that his heart function will be fine without it (hopefully, his body just needed it temporarily as his heart was recovering from surgery).

As far as his meds go, we weaned him off his Reglan a week ago and he's tolerated that really well (he was on it for stomach motility, but doesn't seem to need it any more). We're also starting the wean on his dieuretics. YAY! He's now on Lasix twice a day, and we'll go down to once a day tomorrow and hold there for a week. If he tolerates it well, then we can come off of it entirely after that! A lot of heart kids don't need Lasix after the Glenn - please pray that Bodie is one of them. Other than that and the open issue of Digoxin, he'll remain on his other meds for the foreseeable future (probably for a very long time, actually): Aspirin (most kids can come off this after the Glenn, but because he threw a clot as they were closing him up after surgery, he's stuck on it), Propanolol (for his heart arythmias), Enalapril (to preserve long-term ventricular function) and Sildenafil (for his pulmonary hypertension).

Speaking of his good old pulmonary hypertension, that seems to be easing up. He's still having episodes of it (is in one at the moment actually), but isn't going quite so low with his sats (will dip to the mid or high 60's, but then pops right back up) and is generally satting a bit higher. This week, in fact (before his current episode of hypertension), he was satting in the mid-80's all week. That's great for Bodie! Please pray that his pulmonary hypertension will resolve itself so that we can eventually wean him off of his Sildenafil as well!

In other news, we seem to be seeing (or rather, hearing) some serious improvement in his vocal cords! Praise God!!! Just in the last week the kid has started making some serious noise! It's actually a bit unnerving, only because we're not used to hearing that kind of noise coming from him! And he's having some serious fun trying to recreate the sounds he's making. It's very cute. We have our first ENT appointment this Friday to re-evaluate the vocal cord. It's just a consultation, so I don't know if they'll even scope his cord (stick a tube down his throat to evaluate cord function), but they'll likely refer us for a swallow study. Please pray that both the scope and swallow study show significant improvement for Bodie!

Whew, I think that's it (for now at least). I'll update after our ENT appointment on Friday. In the meantime, thanks for all of your continued prayers - we know that's why little man is doing as well as he is! And here's one final pic of Bodie and Sierra recently. LOVE these kids:

Happy 8 months little hero!

Happy 8 months sweet baby boy! In honor of the big day, I thought I'd include pictures of you with your big sissie, who loves you SO much and can make you laugh and smile faster than anyone around! We are so proud of you and could never have imagined 8 months ago that you would be thriving the way you are now! At 8 months, you're making sure we understand that you are IN CHARGE around here. You're sleeping through the night again (finally!) and we're making progress on daytime napping as well. You LOVE to eat (can I say that again?) - your favorites are carrots, sweet potatoes and squash. You're packing on the ounces, but you're still pretty long and lean at 16lb2oz and 27.5in. You're rolling EVERYWHERE - all directions. You so want to crawl (at least army crawl) and your lower body is ready for it - we're just working on getting the upper body up to speed as well. You're getting happier and happier by the day and other than a little stranger anxiety, you're a generally pretty happy little guy. Astonishing, given everything you've been through. You are our hero. And we LOVE you so much!!!

People have given us so many great shirts over the past 8 months and we love putting Bodie in them. Thought I'd create a collage of Bodie's growth through his shirts - enjoy! (You can click on it to see it blown up).
(Top row (L-R): I call the shots, I'm just bananas over mommy, Bee Happy, Chicks dig scars, Instructions not included. Bottom row (L-R): Major Cutie, 100% Good (most of the time), This is what Handsome looks like, Hello my name is McSteamy, Hello my Name is Mr. Adorable).

Big days for Bodie...

I woke up this morning thinking "Today was SUPPOSED to be a big day for Bodie. It was the day he was SUPPOSED to have his Glenn. It was the day his surgeon was SUPPOSED to have his first opening to get Bodie in. This is the day we were SUPPOSED to be pacing the halls, waiting anxiously for updates, worrying and praying he'd make it through the infamous 24-48 hours post-op." But, instead, what wonderful joy, we're sitting here 3 1/2 weeks post-Glenn, for all intents and purposes completely recovered, and enjoying other wonderful milestones!!! Praise God! Lots of fun stuff going on in the Bennett household this week...

Rocking and Rolling

(you can click on the pic to see it actual size)
Little man is finally rolling, ready for this, BOTH ways!!! He finally figured out rolling from his back to his belly earlier this week (he had been working on it forever - that dang arm on the bottom got him stuck every time). I haven't ever really pushed him too much on tummy time simply because it seems we have always been either recovering from or on the precipe of another open heart surgery, and since he hated it so much, I just didn't bother. But, we had his early intervention assessment earlier this week and the PT gave me some recommendations for doing tummy time in a way that he would like it. I started implementing her suggestions and wouldn't you know it, within a day, this smart little guy was not only pushing up but rolling from his belly to his back! I was totally shocked simply because up until this point, he would more or less just smash his head into the floor and scream most of the time we put him on his tummy (hence, why mommy didn't do it too much). Now, it's almost impossible to keep him on his tummy, because he immediately rolls back over to his back! Our next big challenge is sitting - we're working on that. :-) The great news is that he qualifies for early invention. Not that there was any doubt (I mean, come on, this poor kid has spent more time in the hospital on an incline than anywhere else - not exactly the right position to be honing those gross motor skills), but it's nice to finally be moving on bringing OT and PT out to the house. (Our Regional Center will not assess kids until they are at least 7 months, so we had to wait until now to get the ball rolling.) The therapist who assessed him was totally impressed with how well he seemed cognitively (the fact that he was flirting with her and wanting to play all of her games didn't hurt!).

Double Double

Drumroll, please!!! Little man has officially DOUBLED his birth weight! Yep, we're a little behind schedule (I think they're supposed to do that around 4 months and Bodie's almost 8 months, but again, he's seriously spent 60% of his life in the hospital at this point, so we're THRILLED that he's met this milestone!). He is growing like a TANK at this point and we're all (mom, dad, Bodie, cardiologist and pediatrician included) excited! (By the way, he was 7lb13oz at birth, so technically 15lb10oz was doubling, but he shot from 15lb9oz yesterday to 15lb12oz today, so I missed my chance to take the pic at 15lb10oz!)

Mommy's Little Helper
Sierra has become quite the big helper to me these days. Today, Bodie was losing his mind screaming in the living room (don't worry, he was safe - he was playing with his toys on his blanket and I had left for a minute to put some laundry in the bedroom). I was on my way back in and I heard him stop screaming, so I immediately walked more quickly, worried about what I would find given that big sister had been left alone with him. This is what I found...

Bless her heart, Sierra had gone into the kitchen, gotten his bottle out of the fridge and started feeding him. I had to explain that it's not that great to feed him lying flat on his back, but I was so proud of her. And she was so proud of herself. It melted my heart. Then, since she was on such a roll, she decided to help get him dressed after his diaper change:

And speaking of little missy, I have to share this pic from yesterday. It was raining, so I promised her she could go outside and run around in the rain for a bit. I didn't realize until after I'd already promised her, that we had misplaced (given away? who knows - our lives our crazy right now) her raincoat. So I figured the ski jacket would work. I told her to make sure to put her boots on. Well, I was so fixated on the missing raincoat, I didn't realize until we got outside that somehow, pants hadn't gotten into the mix. Oops...

The strong and silent type...

I think you all know Bodie has vocal cord paresis of his left cord. His was a result of either his first surgery or intubation. Since his intubation wasn't that long (only 10 days - that's not too long by hospital standards although it felt like an eternity to us), it was probably more likely due to the surgery itself. Vocal Chord Paresis like Bodie has occurs as a result of cardiothoracic surgery often because a nerve that innervates the left vocal cord (left recurrent laryngeal nerve), is in close proximity to the aorta (the aortic arch specifically). Since the entire aorta is rebuilt during the Norwood, it's more common with that surgery than any of the subsequent surgeries.

In any case, because the vocal cords act as the mechanism for protecting the airway (the vocal cords cross one another to prevent liquids from going down the trachea), the vocal chord paresis can cause someone to aspirate liquids down into the lungs. In Bodie's case, his left cord, although weak, worked enough that he was able to tolerate thickened liquids. Thus, everything that goes into his mouth (meds, fortified breastmilk, etc.) has to be thickened using a nectar substance. His voice has gotten stronger recently, so we have some reason to believe some healing has occurred to that vocal cord, and we'll be having a repeat swallow study done in the next few weeks to confirm that. Please pray that Bodie's vocal cord heals SOON so that we can stop worrying quite so much about it!

In true Bodie/Townes fashion, ever in a competition to see who's had it the worst (man are these boys going to have some stories to swap when they're older!), Townes now also has left vocal cord paresis as well, likely due to the extensive arch reconstruction done during his surgery. His unfortunatately is severe enough that he is silently aspirating (i.e. showing NO signs that the liquid is going into his lungs) even the thickest liquids. As a result, he will be on a restricted liquid diet until the cord heals. He is luckily allowed to eat solids; but he will need a feeding tube for liquids (to prevent dehydration). He is scheduled for a g-tube (PEG type - percutaneous endoscopic gastrotomy) surgery tomorrow morning. PLEASE pray that:
1. The surgery goes well (he will have to be intubated for it - please pray that no further damage is done).
2. His spirits improve. I can only imagine how difficult it is to take a 21 month old who is used to drinking with every meal and between meals and to tell him that he can't drink anymore. TOUGH stuff. We know that he will get used to it - just pray for his (and his entire family's) spirits as they adjust to this new normal.
3. That stinking vocal cord will HEAL!!!

So, in the meantime, as Sara and I say, we'll be having some quiet playdates with the boys...

But it's ok, because the big sisters talk enough for all 4 of us!